Yes Sally!! I have been waiting for her to release a novel I loved as much as The Good Sister and it is HERE.

I loved Darling Girls so much. The three sisters different personalities as well as the back and forth with the therapy appointments kept the narrative fresh. The gut punch ending was everything I love about Hepworth's novels and I'll absolutely be recommending my followers pick this one up in the spring.

This story revolves around 3 women who grew up in the same foster care home as children and young teens. Norah, Jessica, and Alicia are lifelong sisters after the trauma and abuse they suffered at the hands of their foster parent, Miss. Fairchild. Now as adults Jessica has a successful home organizing business thanks to her OCD. Alicia is a caseworker for foster care children. And Norah is a little rough around the edges but who isn't afraid to act on her feelings.

One day they receive a call from a detective in Port Agatha, where they grew up, asking them to assist in an investigation. A body has been found under the house they grew up in.

Traveling back to the place they swore they would never return to, they are forced to face their past, and Miss. Fairchild, in ways they never imagined.

Told between "before" and "now" we get to see how they were treated as children, and how they are seeking retribution as adults. Some of this is very hard to read, as most child abuse stories are, but the heart of this book is the three women never giving up on each other. It's heartbreaking, strong-willed, and very twisty! Highly recommend!

📱”Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
expected publish date: April 23, 2024

Thank you to @netgalley, Erica Martirano from St. Martins Publishing, and of course the author, Sally Hepworth for this early kindle version

Three young girls, in what looks to be a perfect foster home. Alicia, Jessica and Norah are bonded closer than sisters, each bringing their trauma and past into their made family. Miss Fairchild appeared to be a doting foster mother with some excessive cleaning rules, but in reality she was manipulative, mean and often unpredictable. When bones are discovered buried under the farmhouse of their childhood foster home, each of the girls are called in by the police to tell what they know. The past, the secrets and Miss Fairchild all come out. Another don’t miss read from one of my favorite authors… Great character development, fast moving suspense, with a twist at the end… 👏

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This one left my jaw on the floor!! I’ve loved all of Sally Hepworth’s books, but this one might be one of her best.

The story centers around three women who lived in the same foster home and are closer than most biological sisters. They lean on each other for everything and they have been through a lot together.

When they get a call from a detective asking them to go back to their foster home, they are hesitant. They didn’t have the best memories there and want to put it all behind them. But, something happened there that needs to be resolved.

I absolutely loved reading this book. I thought that the excerpts with the mystery person talking to a therapist were most intriguing. I also really liked when the book went back in the past to expand upon the girls’ childhood, even though it was really hard to read.

The author did a fantastic job at wrapping up the story nicely and the ending was so satisfying!

Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for a review!

Loved loved loved this book.
Wow!!!! A story with stories in-between that story written brilliantly. Totally draws you in and when you think it's already great it gets better!!! Frigging wonderful ending.
Loved loved loved this book!!!!!!!
Gets all the stars and more

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I'm a big fan of Sally Hepworth and was very excited to get this ARC. It took me a while to get into the story as there's not a lot of action and the narration alternates between main characters. Once I got to know the people the story flowed through present day and flashbacks. I was disappointed that I figured out the ending early until I got to the end and got a giant shock when I was completely wrong. Well played Hepworth, well played.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I very much enjoyed it.

I love everything Sally Hepworth writes. And after reading several Hepworth books, I felt like I knew how her books went. But this one is so different. The main characters are three little girls - left to foster care. So one at a time they meet Miss Fairchild - a Disney princess of a lady who has a beautiful home. But of course things are not as they seem - too good to be true in fact. So they girls create their own little family and learn to survive. The story begins when they are grown and on their own. Miss Fairchild's home - Wild Meadows - has been sold and torn down. A discovery is made that brings back all the events of the girl's horrific time with Miss Fairchild. This book is one wild ride and of course Hepworth throws in those last minute twists that she is famous for.

Sally Hepworth does it again!!

This book does not disappoint. From the start I was intrigued with the storyline. The character development is solid and you immediately feel all the things for these girls and the situation they are in. Throughout the book, I found myself sad, angry and happy. All the feelings.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me this early read. Hands down recommend it to anyone who loves a good twist.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

Sally Hepworth does it again! Darling Girls was full of twists, the ultimate twist being revealed in the last chapter. Definitely recommend this one to any fan of thrillers, it kept me hooked the entire way.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

A banger!!!!!

3 foster girls under the care of a crazy mean lady with her own troubling past.
Now 15 years later the 3 adult women are called back to their childhood town to drudge up their disturbing pasta when bones are found under their foster home.
The 3 ladies current lives are spiraling along side flash backs from childhood.

I loved every single part of each of the girls current and past stories. It all tied together SO well and the ending twist 🤯 amazing!

I knew the therapist parts were miss Fairchild pretty early on and I loved seeing it unravel along side the girls stories instead of just trying to force feed us all the reasoning why she was the way she was at the end like some books do!
And even if it ended after Alicia’s final chapter it would have been a 5/5 but the Holly Fairchild chapter really sealed the deal and was brilliant without being overkill !

For the editor: A FEW TYPOS MISTAKES
1. Chapter 29: “descendf” location 2319
2. Chapter 13: “ People often referred to refer to Phil as “cute.”” Location 1124
3. Chapter 12: “ in a floral skirt, WHICH blouse and..”
location 1007

Sally Hepworth has delivered one powerful book, involving foster parents and substance abuse. It follows three girls fostered by the wicked Miss Fairchild. To survive, the girls form a strong sisterly bond. Highly recommended! I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more from this author. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

Miss Holly Fairchild was a pretty young Foster Mother who lived in Port Agatha, a farming community a few hours from Melbourne. She provided foster care to children at her country estate and farm, Wild Meadows. While she offered transitional respite care for several babies and infants, her main charges were three young girls who she fostered long term. Their names were Jessica, Norah, and Alicia. While all three girls had different reasons for landing at Wild Meadows, they soon came to see the other two as sisters. They also quickly learned that Miss Fairchild was not as endearing as she first seemed. The girls banded together to survive their foster care nightmare and retained their unbreakable sisterly bond into adulthood.

The novel alternates between the girls' childhoods under Miss Fairchild's care and twenty-five years later when they are called back to Port Agatha to help detectives solve a mysterious cold case at Wild Meadows. As they all work to unravel the past, they uncover more than they could have ever imagined.

Sally Hepworth does it again-she's written a clever book that will keep her readers guessing. The storyline is interesting and her characters are believable and captivating. This book was hard to put down. I was intrigued, yet at times was horrified and sad. Fans of psychological thrillers will find it an enjoyable read.

Just finished reading “Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth.

This book was a page turner. It jumps from past to present telling the stories of Jessica, Norah and Alicia and how they grew up in foster care. Although not related by blood, they are “sisters” in every way.

The present day mystery begins with each sister receiving a call about human remains found under their former foster home. The narrative then goes back and forth from past to present to give possible clues to who se remains they are. You think you have things figured out but there’s always a twist.

On a side note there is a touch of humour which helps with the heavy trigger warnings of child abuse.

Definitely a book to recommend if you enjoy a psychological thriller!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sally Hepworth for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I loved this book and it had me on the edge of my seat. I finished it in one sitting because I was so enthralled… It’s darker than some of her previous books I’ve read before and follows three women - Alicia, Jessica, and Norah who lived together with Miss Fairchild, their foster mother. They’re all very different, but this book shows sisterly love really well. Strange things start happening many years later in the present when a body in found on the farm where they lived. If you like mysteries, pick this one up!

3.5 Stars
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy! I enjoy Sally Hepworth’s books and this was no exception. The mystery builds to a almost satisfying payoff - to me, the reveals felt rushed. Characters were likable, although their development felt a bit forced. I did enjoy reading this and will be recommending to my friends!

Very interesting story, but the writing felt rushed in this book. It didn’t seem to have the same fast paced style as other Sally Hepworth books.

Overall, still enjoyable and a good, dark twist.

Best book I have read in 2023. I have read the majority of Sally Hepworth's novels. This by far is my favorite!!
The main story is complimented by the back stories of each foster child but also by the backstory of the caregiver herself. I didn't want this book to end.

The twist at the end........😳

Sally H can do no wrong! This is another solid 4 stars from me. Great characters that I love or love to hate, nicely timed thrills too!

This book was incredibly riveting. Three foster children from different families got taken in by Miss Fairchild. This story tells us about their traumatic history under her care. Miss Fairchild had many foster children through the years but one went missing. The three foster girls story is told in the past and the present.. Their story is pieced together with clues from the past that will make them question everything they thought they knew. There are twists turns you won’t see coming so buckle up and enjoy the ride.